Hospitals and Patient Discharge Decisions

If you end up in the hospital for a surgery, the decision on when you are released to go home may not be solely based on your recovery.

In this edition of Smith Business Close-Up with the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, Ph.D. candidate David Anderson talks about his research that finds evidence that hospitals base discharge decisions on the amount of beds needed for surgeries on a given day.

Anderson and Bruce Golden, France-Merrick Chair in Management Science, conducted the study a large mid-Atlantic medical center and say the findings can be applied in general to for-profit healthcare systems in the U.S.

Smith Business Close-Up is co-produced by the Robert H. Smith School of Business and Maryland Public Television. The television segment focuses on the latest thinking in business management, and features in-depth interviews with Smith School faculty and other members of the school’s community of business leaders.

Where to WatchSmith Business Close-Up can be seen bi-weekly on Maryland Public Television's Your Business and Money. The program airs at 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays and is repeated the following Sunday at 7:30 a.m. on public television stations throughout Maryland and the Washington, D.C., metropolitan region, including:

About the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business

The Robert H. Smith School of Business is an internationally recognized leader in management education and research. One of 12 colleges and schools at the University of Maryland, College Park, the Smith School offers undergraduate, full-time and part-time MBA, executive MBA, online MBA, specialty masters, PhD and executive education programs, as well as outreach services to the corporate community. The school offers its degree, custom and certification programs in learning locations in North America and Asia.